A seven-year-old girl died after a glass-coated kite string got tangled around her neck, leaving a deep cut, in outer Delhi’s Paschim Vihar area, police said on Thursday.
According to the police, on Wednesday around 7: 27 p.m a police control room (PCR) call was received in Paschim Vihar West police station regarding the death of a girl after being cut by a kite string while she was riding on a motorcycle being driven by her father.
“The information was received from Sri Balaji Action Hospital and the incident occurred in Guru Harkishan Nagar, Paschim Vihar,” said a senior police official.
As per the initial probe, the deceased was sitting in the front, followed by her father , 13-year-old sister and mother.
After the incident at Guru Harkishan Nagar the father rushed her to the hospital where she succumbed to her injuries during treatment.
“A case of causing death by negligence and disobedience to order by a public servant has been registered against unknown persons,” said the official.
In February this year, on account of the availability of ‘Chinese manjha’ (kite string) even after its ban, the Delhi High Court had directed the Crime Branch to submit a comprehensive status report after investigating the manufacturers and importers supplying the material to the traders.
A single-judge bench of Justice Prathiba M. Singh, who was dealing with a bunch of similar pleas while seeking the status of all the related FIRs in the city, had also sought details of the traders still selling the manjha.
As per section 94 of the Delhi Police Act, 1978 where it is provided that, “Prohibition against flying kites, etc. — No person shall fly a kite or any other thing so as to cause danger, injury or alarm to persons, animals or property.”
In 2017, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed a complete ban on the manufacture, distribution, sale, and use of nylon or any synthetic manjha or thread holding that it is lethal in nature and non-biodegradable.
The High Court on August 4, 2022, had asked the Police to inform the court about the steps it has taken to implement the NGT order banning Chinese manjha.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma dealt with a public interest litigation expressing safety concerns over the alleged use of Chinese manjha and a complete ban on kite flying and related activities.
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